Rival boss Jim Harvey has questioned AFC Telford United’s ability to sustain a title challenge – insisting champions are more attack-minded.

The Bucks won 1-0 away to Harvey’s Stalybridge Celtic on Saturday to extend their unbeaten start to the Blue Square Bet North season to 12 games.

But the former Chester chief was hardly glowing in his praise of Andy Sinton’s Telford side.

“With the size of the club and some of the experienced players they have got there they should be expecting to win the league,” said Harvey.

“I was surprised that we dominated the game for a long as we did – I didn’t think they could cope with us in the first half.

“Telford came out with a win and that’s fine but I think you have to set your teams up with the capacity to really go for the win.

“Telford won on Saturdayt by not losing it. Whether they can win enough games through the course of the year I don’t know.”

The criticism will hardly worry Sinton, the Telford chief praising his defence for their eighth clean sheet of the league campaign.

“I’m a very attack-minded manager,” said Sinton. “But it’s like building a house — if you don’t have your foundations it will crumble and fall over.

“We’ve got the foundations and, if anything, we’re looking for a little bit more going the other way.”

Meanwhile, Telford are still waiting to learn the extent of striker Alex Meechan’s injury, the striker missing Saturday’s game after suffering back spasms.

By CHRIS HUDSON